Blending Ancient and Modern in the Public Realm With Mikkel Frost

Blending Ancient and Modern in the Public Realm With Mikkel Frost

Over the coming years, the cities of the world will keep growing, and as designers of these cities, architects have an important task in combining history, cultural legacy and renewal – to preserve the past while simultaneously meeting the current and future needs of urban dwellers.

During this session, Mikkel Frost, architect and Founding Partner at Danish firm CEBRA, will take a closer look at the A+Award-winning Al Hosn Masterplan in Abu Dhabi — a project that elegantly bridges the past, the present and the future of Abu Dhabi with the design of a 400x400-meter public park-scape in the centre of the pulsating metropolis.

In the presentation, Mikkel will explore the central aspects and design drivers behind the Al Hosn project ranging from heritage and transformation to architectural placemaking, identity, context and regional landscaping. 

By attending this talk, you’ll learn:

• Why context should always be one of the most important design drivers in architecture.
• How urban heritage and renewal can co-exist in architectural projects.
• How it is possible to create a piece of art, that is still people-friendly.

About Mikkel Frost

Mikkel Frost is a Danish architect, artist and founding partner of the internationally acclaimed architecture studio CEBRA, which he founded in 2001 together with Kolja Nielsen and Carsten Primdahl. Today, CEBRA has offices in Aarhus, Copenhagen and Abu Dhabi and a growing international portfolio.

Throughout the years, CEBRA designed several significant projects both in Denmark and across the globe – among others Experimentarium, The Iceberg, Æbeløen and not least the comprehensive revitalization of the Al Hosn Masterplan in Abu Dhabi. Currently, the studio is also working on several ongoing projects in North America. As an artist, Mikkel Frost is well-known for his skill to visualize and document his and CEBRA’s architectural works and concepts in drawings, sketches and photographs.

About Paul Keskeys

Paul Keskeys is Editor in Chief at Architizer. An architect-trained editor, writer and content creator, Paul graduated from UCL and the University of Edinburgh, gaining an MArch in Architectural Design with distinction. Paul has spoken about the art of architecture and storytelling at many national industry events, including AIANY, NeoCon, KBIS, the Future NOW Symposium, the Young Architect Conference and NYCxDesign. As well as hundreds of editorial publications on Architizer, Paul has also had features published in Architectural Digest, PIN—UP Magazine, Archinect, Aesthetica Magazine and PUBLIC Journal.